Boris Becker admits his time in a British prison has taught him an "important" lesson after he was released and deported to his native Germany.
The former World No.1 was jailed in April this year for bankruptcy offenses and sentenced to a two and a half year sentence.
Becker, who served eight months at HMP Huntercombe, has now taken part in a tell-all interview with German broadcaster Sat1 - in which reports say he was controversially paid £435,000 to tell the public his side of the story.
The bombshell programme will air in Germany on Tuesday night and Becker admits inside prison, he was a "nobody."
He said: “I believe I rediscovered the human in me, the person I once was.
“I’ve learnt a hard lesson – a very expensive one, a very painful one – but the whole thing has taught me something very important and worthwhile, and some things happen for a good reason.
“In prison you are a nobody. You are only a number. Mine was A2923EV. I wasn’t called Boris, I was a number, and nobody gives a sh*t who you are.”
Speaking about the morning he was released and deported from the UK, he said: "I sat on the edge of my bed from six in the morning and hoped that the cell door would open.
"They came at half past seven, unlocked themselves and asked, 'Are you ready?' I said, 'Let's go!' I had already packed everything," he added.
The fee paid for Becker's story has attracted criticism on social media, with commenters slamming Sat 1 for offering such a large payout.
One wrote: "It's a mess to offer a criminal this stage and pay so much money, rather donate the money much more sensible."
However, Sat1 hit back, saying they would not discuss the payment.
A spokesman said: "Trust is a valuable asset in cooperation and this includes Sat1 not quoting from contracts."
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